Drier-car-handling apparatus



Get. 2 1923. L469376 R. s. BIGELOW DRIER CAR HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 15 1921 #vvsfot Patented Oct. 2, 1923.

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.App'licationiiled October 15, 1921. Seridl In). 7503,1300.

To aZZ whom may concern:- :v

Be it known that 1,1301 S. Bronnow, a

citizenfof the United States, residing 'at' Chicago, in the county of Cook and'Stateof Illinois, have invented an Improvement in DrienCar-I'Iandling Apparatus, of the following is afspecification. V

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for handling materialc'arsin 10 drier tunnels, and the like, and hasfor its object to producea labor-saving apparatus atypical Elayout of'th'e loading end of a plurality of drying tunnels comprising a 'brlckmanufac'tunng plant; Fig. 2 is a view in cross-section ofa portion of the building shown in Fig, 1, and

showin imp ed h g apparatus installed therein. v

large production, the following steps of manufacture are usually; followed. First the oricks are formed in a molding machine orprcss, then loaded on flat carsand taken to drier tunnels where they are subjected to a medium heat sufficient for jpartial dehydration, and then are takento the kilns where they are burned in the usual manner;-

in factories of'this kind, a large number of drier tunnels are provided, placed side by;

side and hayingtracks running therethrough upon which the flat ears'are placed- The cars are-usuallyloaded at one portionlof the factoryad jacent the molding machines or presses, and are then rolled upon a-transfer car, and: transported laterally thereon "to v a place opposite the tunnelin which the l bricks are to be' dehydrated. In the drawfactory in which atransfer car 1 is mounted on a'pair'of tracks'2 runnmg at right angles tow a plurality oftrack portions 8, .3, extending into the drier tunnels 4, 4. .As usually,

which reference to the accompanying drawing il Iii brick manufacturing Plan s c lp bleof have 115112113 beenlpushed y' through inn, Ihave illustrated a'portion of a typicalregister withanydesired set of tunnel tracks suitable-' doors 5, 5,which are closed while The tunnels 4, l, are provided. with heat is being, applied to the bricks." A'ny usual means of applying'heatto thetunnelsf may be employed. As already suggested, the bricks are placed on flat cars such as incheated by the numeral-6' and are transported on theitransfer car 1' to the entrance to one of th e drier tunnels 4 Where they are" run on'the track 3 and? loaded 'intosaid tunnel. After the tunnel has received its desired capacity ofbrick cars, the adores,

5, are closed. After"heing dehydrated for a desired period, the tunnel is opened andthe' brick cars are moved'out of the opposite-end of the tunnel (not shown in the 'drawingyf The cars are rolled out-0n tracksforming' an extension of tracks 3,-3,.be'yond the exit atthe opposite end ofthe-t'unnel where the bricks are allowed to cool in the openv air.

The cooling tracks-arenot shown as they form -no part. of the presentinyention.'

From thence the bricks "are transported to the kilns'for burning. l 11: As" heretofore practiced, th'ebrick cars 6,6,

out the ;cycle ofmovementsahove described,

that is to say. they are pushed on'thetrans' and from thence are pushed to the kilns.

It will be understood that the brick 1 cars must be handled very carefully owing to the fact thatthe bricks are. piled on the cars :with air spaces between adjacent bricks, as

shown in the drawing.-

Referring now to myimproved apparatus for handling'the brickv cars, Izprov'ide a propelling device, such as an electric 1000-" motive adapted to run on tracks 3, 3, and

of proper size to-enter'the tunnels 4, i}; A'-

otravelling crane 8 is hungaon a beam 9am ranged transversely ofand adjacent the en-f trances ofth'e tunnels'd, 4, and 's'provided with a detachable lifting .mechani.sm such as l a pair ofblocks 10, 10, connected by aiba-r 10- adapted to engage a pair of'hooks 11,

11, extending upwardly from the locomotive soqthat the locomotive may he raised-and transported laterally to serve all of the tunnelsQ i, i. The locomotive is preferably" PTGVldQCl WlfCll a, gather-111g reel 12 of any manner.

suitable construction, and carrying a flexible conductor cable.l3 having its end at:

tached to the travelling crane 8 so as to,

allow the locomotive to travel the length of the tunnels; Said locomotive is provided with a spring bumper device 14 at one end thereof adapted to engage an end of the brick cars 6, 6, so as to push them through and out of the tunnel. The operators cab 15 is preferably located at the inner end of the locomotive adjacent the bumper device, i14 in the embodiment illustrated, said operators cab is provided withacontr'oller l6 andan-operators seat 17 as shown The brick cars 6, 6, are preferably pushed into the tunnels by hand. The cars. are

handled. singly and are readily moved, espe-' cially where the drier car tracks 3, 3, are inclinedln the directionof movementof the cars, The doors 5, 5, are then closed andthe bricks; are subjected to heatin the usual The usual temperature a for dehydration may range from 150 to 400 de.-

pending on conditions'of manufacture. In the higher ranges of temperature indicated,

the lubrication of the. brick car. bearings isoften affected so as to make it diflicult to start the cars again when the tunnels are reopened; after the heating process. It is desirable to move the entire load of sev-- eral cars as. a unit, and it often requires the assistance of-several men working in the high temperature of the tunnel to get the cars started. The main'difliculty, therefore, in handling the cars by old methods has been in removing the cars from the tunnel, and'it 15:01 this purpose that myimproved apparatus is advantageously em ployed. As before suggested, the locomotive 7 is adapted to be lifted by the travelling crane and carried to the tunnel which is to be unloaded. The locomotive is lowered onto the track 3, with the hooks 11, 11, facing outwardly so as to be readily-disengaged from the bar 10 when ihe'locomotive moves forwardly. vAfter the doors are opened, the locomotive is manipulated carefully by the operator so that the spring bumper 14: is gently engaged with the outer end ofthe brick car 6 nearest the entrance. The brick cars are arranged end to end on 'the track so that the locomotive pushes the entire train of cars out-upon the cooling rack at the opposite end of the tunnel.

In this manner the work of removing the cars from the tunnel may be quickly and easily accomplished with a minimum danger of shock-to the cars. The locomotive may bequickly returned to the entrance of the tunnel and the hooks 11, 11, maybe auto-- matically reengaged with the bar 10 in position to be lifted by the crane and carried to the next tunnel which is to be opened.

The operator is thus subjected to the heat of the tunnel for a minimum period of time and the apparatus iscompletely re moved from the tunnel during the heating process, so as to eliminate dangerof corrosion of the-:metal parts, The system of car handling thus described effects a saving both in labor and time, and increases the production capacity of the driertunnels.

Although I have shown and described one form in which my invention maybe embodied, it will be understood that many other means may be employed.for-accomi plishing the same'results, without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Myimproved apparatus mayalso be ad? vantageously applied to other uses, such as tunnel kilns. I do not therefore wish to be understood as limiting myself to the" specific construction oruse illustrated herein. excepting as specifically limited in the appended claims. I claimas my invention: r I 1-. An apparatus ofthe class described,

comprising a plurality of' adjacent tunnels,

material cars movable throughsaid tunnels,

a traveling crane having an overhead runway arranged transversely of the tunnelentrances, a locomotive-provided with a re; sillent bumper at one end thereof adapted to engage the cars in saidtunnels,and de tachable suspension meansfor engaging said crane with said locomotive-to lift the latter.

'2. The apparatus for moving material through a plurality ofadjacent tunnels, comprising a travelling crane hav'ingan overhead runway arranged transversely of the tunnel entrances, an electric, locomotive,

detachable] suspension means, on said cradle for-lifting said locomotive, a flexible con ductor cable adapted to connectsaid crane with said locomotiverin all positions of the.

latter, and zit-gathering feel for 'said'cable,

3. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a plurality of "adjacent; tunnels, having-tracks therethrough, material cars movable through saidtunnels, a locomotive, means for moving said locomotive laterally to register with any ofsaid tunneltracks,

resilientbumper means carried by said. 10-

comotive at one-end thereof adapted to engage the cars in saidtunnelmand a flexible conductor. cable adapted to connect" said; moving means with said locomotive in all positions of the latter.

4. The apparatus for movinggmaterialcars through ."a plurality of adjacentftunbers, and adapted to automatically engage the other of said members when the locomotive 'is moved out ofthe tunnel entrance.

5. An apparatus of the class described,

comprising a plurality of adjacent tunnels, having tracks therethrough, material cars movable through said tunnels, a locomotive, means for moving said locomotive laterally to register with any of said tunnel tracks, resilient bumper means carried by said 10- 10 comotive at one end thereof adapted to enand State of Illinois, this gage the cars in said tunnels, arfiexible' conductor cable adapted to connect said moving means with said locomotive in all positions of the latter, and a gathering reel 1 ROY s; BIGELOW. 

